Each January, interior showrooms in Paris display their latest wares during Paris Déco Off, a city-wide event open to the public. The presentations center around fabrics, wall coverings, and trim, and there is much beauty to see. The St. Germain area (also known as the 6th arrondissement) has a concentration of great venues— including Schumacher, Pierre Frey, Jim Thompson, and Dedar —that are pretty much heaven on earth.
While in the area, be sure to pop into the excellent spice shop Compagnie Francaise des Poivres et des Epices at 7 Rue de Furstenberg. They stock ethically sourced spices from around the world in an apothecary-like shop. The little tins make perfect gifts. And when you’re ready for a break, it’s always fun to hang out at Les Deux Magots (6 Place Saint-Germain des Prés) which, despite its fame, is still a perfect place for a coffee or a kir.
Left: Yugen is a purple textured wallpaper from Arte has the appearance of a (very chic) brick wall. The surface has an appealing suede-like texture to boot. Right: Déjà Vu Jamais is a cotton Jacquard velvet with a maze-like pattern in thick pile. It looks especially delicious in this sapphire hue.
Purple (with a side of Deep Blue)
Jewel tones showed up everywhere, and manufacturers weren’t shy about bold, saturated colors. Purple was popular, as was cobalt and other deep blues, plus amethyst and ruby.
Left: Prelle’s Paris showroom was done up in a wild disco mashup of color and form by architectural firm Uchronia in collaboration with Passementerie Verrier and fabrics by Prelle. Right: There were a lot of groovy patterns and 70s color palettes in Paris, but this Deco-like display by Zinc Textile was among the very best.
Disco/Deco
An interesting overlap of the graphic punch of the 60s and 70s with the curvy elegance of the 20s and 30s resulted in some very powerful designs. Some skewed more disco, others more Deco.
Left: Patterns that might not go together were nevertheless paired. Sahco mixed an animal print with an over-scale floral to great success. Right: While not technically part of Déco Off, Mahdavi’s showroom is a short walk from St. Germain, and there she confidently played with color and scale.
Playing with Pattern and Scale
Designers weren’t at all shy with pattern this year, and that included mixing and mismatching different—seemingly unrelated—prints. The results were often revelatory.
Left: A combination of old school and new, this wow-factor grasscloth played with contrasting graphics and rich texture. Right: Grasscloth chowed up in ways you wouldn’t expect, as a surprising backdrop for modern geometrics (here a take on the classic trellis) where you’d expect something glossier at Jim Thompson.
Grasscloth Reimagined
The natural fiber wall covering is often used to provide a backdrop that relies on texture. But this year there were many dynamic patterns and unexpected uses.
Left: Print by artist Emily Jackson for Pierre Frey. A little bit Matisse—yet completely original—it’s designed to create a sense of optimism and joy. Right: Paying homage to the haute couture world from which its creator comes, this paper from Christian Lacroix Maison for Designers Guild depicts a sort of forest of imaginary flowers.
Artistic Intentions
Collaborations with artists and designers are popular in the fabric and wall covering world, and this season had no shortage of top notch results from these meetings of the mind.
Story by Stephen Treffinger
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